Gift for those that help us move

[disney*mom*82]

Dh and I just bought a new house, we will be moving in 2 weeks. We have a very full house now and we have been here 9 years. I cannot lift and move things because of back problems and we will need lots of help. Dh has several friends and some family helping.

Im looking for ideas of something to give them as a thank you for helping us move. It is going to be nasty weather, as I said, we have lots of stuff, etc. I really want to be able to thank them, but not break the bank.

 

[Kellydelly]

I would provide breakfast (bagels), lunch, and dinner if it is an all day move. I don't think anyone would expect anything else! That is what friends and family are for . The last time my husband helped a coworker move he didn't even get a sandwich, which surprised me. I'm all about food . You don't give gifts to people who help you move as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Gigi22]

Well, I always tried to put on a good hot lunch for volunteer movers--homemade lasagna goes over well, with a green salad and garlic bread. Ice cream for dessert. Can you get your stove up and running early at the new house--or make your lasagna in a microwave-friendly pan? Also good to have on hand, lots of water. We would break out the beer after all the moving was done--since the laws are more strict now, you may want to pass out gift cards for a restaurant meal (doesn't have to be fancy) to your movers instead.

 

[prncess674]

Hire movers. Having a few friends over to assist with small things is acceptable, but a house full is rude. Unless you are 20 yrs old and moving from the dorm to your first apartment you don't ask friends to move a house full of stuff.

 

[marthachick]

Not sure what type of gifts to give but be sure to have food & drinks. Think easy to keep hot if it's cold. Helped brother and sister-in-law move recently & we had hot food in crock pots. I made shredded bbq chicken for sandwiches & s-i-l fixed bbq wieners and we had chips and then brownies for dessert. Coffee or hot chocolate would be good if it is cold too. Good luck!

 

[roscoepc1]

Hire movers. Having a few friends over to assist with small things is acceptable, but a house full is rude. Unless you are 20 yrs old and moving from the dorm to your first apartment you don't ask friends to move a house full of stuff.

Maybe this is regional? Around here, friends would be insulted/offended if people paid good money for movers when friends and their trucks etc are free....

Pizza and beer at the end of the day is the norm here....plus cold non-alcoholic drinks and food throughout the day for all helpers. Or coffee/hot chocolate/tea if it's nasty out...maybe some chili or soup?

 

[disneychic2]

We've hired movers the last two moves, but the first couple (in our younger days lol) we had friends and family help. I fed them all day and provided bottled water and soda etc. Then, at a later date I had the friends and their wives over for a nice meal separate from the hard work.

I don't think gifts are necessary either. It's what friends do for each other.

 

[prncess674]

Maybe this is regional? Around here, friends would be insulted/offended if people paid good money for movers when friends and their trucks etc are free....

Pizza and beer at the end of the day is the norm here....plus cold non-alcoholic drinks and food throughout the day for all helpers. Or coffee/hot chocolate/tea if it's nasty out...maybe some chili or soup?

Moving should be left to insured professionals. What happens if your friends drop your china cabinet or 50" plasma TV and scuff it up or heaven forbid they drop a box of breakables. I know if the weather were nasty I wouldn't allow anyone in my family to trek out in bad weather and possibly slip and fall on ice and snow carrying your stuff because you were too cheap to hire a mover. If the weather were nasty they possibly could harm themselves in a manner that would prohibit them from working on Monday. Are you prepared to support their family and pay their bills for several weeks while they recoup if they were to slip and fall carrying your stuff?

No one REALLY ever wants to help you move, they are just too nice to say so. Weekends are precious family time and doing back breaking labor all day on a Saturday in a wintery mess is not what anyone wants to do for pizza and beer.

 

[tonilea]

Moving should be left to insured professionals. What happens if your friends drop your china cabinet or 50" plasma TV and scuff it up or heaven forbid they drop a box of breakables. I know if the weather were nasty I wouldn't allow anyone in my family to trek out in bad weather and possibly slip and fall on ice and snow carrying your stuff because you were too cheap to hire a mover. If the weather were nasty they possibly could harm themselves in a manner that would prohibit them from working on Monday. Are you prepared to support their family and pay their bills for several weeks while they recoup if they were to slip and fall carrying your stuff?

No one REALLY ever wants to help you move, they are just too nice to say so. Weekends are precious family time and doing back breaking labor all day on a Saturday in a wintery mess is not what anyone wants to do for pizza and beer.

You wouldn't happen to own a moving company, would you?

 

[prncess674]

You wouldn't happen to own a moving company, would you?

No. I am a professional with a degree and I am tired of people imposing on my precious weekends. Please hire movers who have all the appropriate tools to move your furniture and valuables: dollys, moving blankets, men trained to load a truck efficiently and swiftly.

Just as a note, I always have a big cooler of non alcoholic drinks ready and a plethora of grab and go snacks (granola bars, bite size chocolate bars, apples, bannanas) for the paid movers. Happy movers make quick work. My boxes are organized and labeled with the room they are being moved to in the new location. Each room is clearly marked with a big sign on each door so there is no confusion. They have no idea who "Joey" is so I have each box marked "Child Bedroom #1" "Master Bedroom" or "downstairs playroom" etc.

I have also found it is great help to hire a few teenage girls to help out on moving day. They can pack up last minute items, run to the store for random items, take all the TV cables and neatly coil and tie with rubberbands or just do whatever random thing I need done so I am available to supervise the movers. I call them "runners" and they just do whatever needs to be done that doesn't require huge skill.

 

[tonilea]

No. I am a professional with a degree and I am tired of people imposing on my precious weekends. Please hire movers who have all the appropriate tools to move your furniture and valuables: dollys, moving blankets, men trained to load a truck efficiently and swiftly.

Just as a note, I always have a big cooler of non alcoholic drinks ready and a plethora of grab and go snacks (granola bars, bite size chocolate bars, apples, bannanas) for the paid movers. Happy movers make quick work. My boxes are organized and labeled with the room they are being moved to in the new location. Each room is clearly marked with a big sign on each door so there is no confusion. They have no idea who "Joey" is so I have each box marked "Child Bedroom #1" "Master Bedroom" or "downstairs playroom" etc.

I need done so I am available to supervise the movers. I call them "runners" and they just do whatever needs to be done that doesn't require huge skill.

Bolding mine. Why is that even relevent? The owner of a moving company couldn't have a degree and wouldn't be professional? Besides, it was just a joke.

I am tired of people imposing on my precious weekends.

This is relevent and explains your irritation about people helping others move.

 

[dizluvah]

OP - we had friends help us move - it was alot of work and they had to drive an hour away to our new house - so we provided gas cards and roll of quarters for the tollbooth.....plus donuts/coffee, sodas/water all day , and pizza when we were finished - early afternoon.

good luck with your move

 

[kaytieeldr]

No. I am a professional with a degree and I am tired of people imposing on my precious weekends.

Nobody can impose on you without your - the general 'you/your' - permission. The OP asked people she knew would be willing to help; it's entirely possible she also asked people who declined.

The help is already arranged; whether the people involved truly want to help or just didn't want to say no genuinely doesn't matter. They agreed to help with the move. That wasn't the question. ALL the original poster wants is suggestions how to thank them, in addition to simple, sincerely expressed gratitude.

 

[Kycha]

Maybe this is regional? Around here, friends would be insulted/offended if people paid good money for movers when friends and their trucks etc are free....

This is what I was thinking. DH and I have helped move friends and family dozens of times. Mainly because we have a pickup truck or two to help out. My family and friends are really important to me. And I would gladly give up my precious weekends to help them out. I would feel horrible if they wasted money hiring movers when we are perfectly capable of doing it. My DH and brother have done so many moves, they can get it done in no time(as long as everything is already packed up). And the only time anything was broken was during our own move to our first house. One of DH's friends dropped a picture and broke the glass. Oh, and nobody has ever been hurt during any move I've helped out with.

To the OP, as other posters have said, I would be happy with drinks and something to eat(pizza would be good for me). I do like the idea of $5 gift cards to dunkin donuts or some local coffee place. Or maybe even something more personal like you(or one of your kids) could take photos throughout the day and make small photo albums for your helpers to give to them later as a thank you.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

My cousin and his wife, as well as me, DH and my brother moved most of our house in a day (about 5 miles). We treated them to dinner, at Pizza Hut. Boy did it feel good to sit down and be waited on by a server.

 

[hsmamato2]

the best 'thank you' gift you can give it to be READY to move- pack as much as possible -throw away as much crap as possible BEFORE it's moving day....put the rest in boxes and label- no excuses! you'll have resentful friends if you don't do the part you should,which is to have it all ready to go.....if you accumulated a house 'full' you can pack it up.
your friends should only be moving the boxes and things for you....and you should provide appropriate food and drinks for the time of day...if it's all day,then 3 meals,snacks.....
also, understand things probably will get broken,they're friends,not insured movers. It happens,so resolve ahead of time not to stress over that.

 

[si-am]

I have to agree that hiring movers would be much easier for a full house move. I'd let friends help me move a couple of pieces of furniture, but would never ever ask anyone to move my whole house. Or if I did, I'd be paying them cash, not pizza.

 

[Samandmom]

I have not read all the above responses.
When we moved into our first house we had lots helpers. We did not have lots of furniture to move since we just got married. But the house needed ALOT of work. Everyone helped out with everything from plumbing, sheetrocking, painting and so on. So after the house was all ready and we moved in. We invited everyone to a pizza restaurant and had a nice little party to thank all the helpers. So if its in the budget dinner for everyone.

Good luck

 

[LilGMom]

We've helped friends move and have had friends help us move. We've always provided food and drinks but have never gotten anyone a gift. And when we've helped move friends we've gotten food and drinks but never a gift nor would I have expected one. If we are available during moving day it is just something that we'd do for friends.

 

[Mom2micayla]

We've used friends to help us move and we've helped friends move. IMO it's not rude at all.. just something a friend would do for one another. I'd rather someone ask for my help than spend a ton of $$ on a mover. Every $$ counts these days!

As to a gift, well we've never given one. We did provide breakfast and lunch (they were out by mid afternoon) and of course some cold beers for the guys that drank. That's basically all I've ever been given too when we've helped others move. I would think that, along with some sincere thanks & offer to help them if the need ever arises, would be enough. But if you wanted to give something, then maybe a small gift certificate to a movie theater or a restaurant?